Blackarachnia (BW)/toys

Does this deco make her a "Cheetor" Girl?

If you have a female spider Transformer, it is almost certainly one of Blackarachnia.

Toys

Beast Wars

When she chokes you, she can taste your fear. (Hasbro version)

Well, she's not... less show-accurate? (Takara version)

• Blackarachnia (Deluxe Class, 1996/1997)

• Takara name: Blackwidow
• Takara ID number: D-8
• Takara release date: November ?? 1997
• Accessories: Launcher, 4 leg-missiles
• Known designers: Takio Ejima (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)

Part of the third wave of Beast Wars Deluxes, Blackarachnia is a redeco of the Tarantulas mold, transforming into a rather generic-looking organic spider. She features a removable spring-loaded launcher hidden in her beast mode abdomen, which can be "held" in her claws by plugging it into holes in her forearms. This launcher nominally fires the grappling hook/"poison-tipped missile" attached to Blackarachnia's abdomen by a string, but it can also fire her front four beast mode legs, designed to be removed and used as ammunition. Like all first-year Beast Wars Deluxes, the robot mode head has both a "robot" face and a "mutant" face; and as a redeco she used the same helmet flipping gimmick of Tarantulas. Blackarachnia has always been depicted in fiction using the "robot" one (or a rough approximation thereof).

The Takara release of the toy (coincidentally also in the third wave of the Takara line) has numerous color differences from the Hasbro version, but they are of dubious merit as far as making her more "show-accurate" go. The bright green of the Hasbro version's forearms is replaced with dull silver, while the brighter purple is replaced with a darker, more desaturated purple. These colors changes exactly match those done to the Takara release of Buzz Saw; similar changes to the previous mold-characters Tarantulas and Waspinator indicate the spider and wasp molds might have been at least partially gang-molded. Paint-wise, her dark copper paint is replaced with a brighter gold. Her robot mode facemask is painted gold, which is closer to the show model... but her face beneath is black with gold eyes (instead of gold with black eyes), and she inexplicably gains a new painted-black forehead crest, where the show model has gold. Japanese catalogues showed a figure with a gold face and black eyes; it is unknown why this was changed for the released figure.

This toy has the distinction of being the first toy of a female Transformer released at retail by Hasbro, though she was neither the first retail female Transformers toy ever, or even the first female Transformers toy released by Hasbro, having been beaten to both by Minerva (by Takara in 1988) and Nightracer (a BotCon 1995 exclusive) respectively.

• More information on Deluxe BW Blackarachnia at TFU.info

• Deluxe Beast Assortment (Rhinox and Blackarachnia) (Multi-pack, 1996)

• Accessories: Launcher, 4 leg-missiles

Sold exclusively at BJ's Wholesale Club in the eastern USA, Blackarachnia was released alongside Rhinox in a two-pack card... by which we mean two regularly-packaged toys were slipped into a thick cardboard sleeve.

Both toys are identical to their individual releases, because they're just regular retail releases in a thick cardboard sleeve.

• More infromation on Shmax.com

Battle of the redecos.

• Mitsurin no Taiketsu: Tigatron VS Blackwidow (VS set, 1997)

• ID number: VS-8
• Accessories: Launcher, 4 leg-missiles

In Japan, "Blackwidow" was available both as an individual and in a "Deep Forest Showdown" (密林の対決 Mitsurin no Taiketsu) two-pack with Tigatron.

Both toys were identical to their individual releases.

She's got a great personality.

• Blackarachnia (Happy Meal promotion, 1998)

• McNumber: 5

Part of the second McDonald's Beast Wars Happy Meal pack-in, Blackarachnia's "Transmetal" form resembles some sort of dust mite more than a spider, though it does have a black widow-esque hour-glass shape on the abdomen. It has a very similar transformation to the earlier promotional figure Beetle.

Like the other two Transmetal Happy Meal figures, Blackarachnia has some metallic-sheened plastic intended to resemble the colored chromed finish of the retail Transmetals toys.

• More information on McDonald's BW Blackarachnia at TFU.info

'Sup, bra.

• Blackarachnia (Transmetal 2, 1999)

• Takara name: Metals Blackwidow
• Takara ID number: C-48
• Accessories: Mandible grapnel-line
• Known designers: Yuichiro Hira (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept art)

The second of two Transmetal 2 Megas released in Beast Wars, this version of Blackarachnia transforms into a large, monstrous bio-mechanical spider. Her thorax features a faction symbol-switching gimmick activated by rotating her spark crystal around. In robot mode, her beast-mode mandibles separate to form a grappling hook with retractable string, plus she has a spring-loaded spin-kick action feature that rotates her entire lower body around. She also has a half-assed "defense mode", bringing the chromed abdomen bits down to cover her chest.

Like all larger Transmetal 2s, Blackarachnia has hints of an abandoned "transport" mode, mainly the free-spinning wheels and concealed rockets in the spider mode abdomen. There is no discernible way for the wheels to perform their function as wheels, however.

This toy was initially hard to find at retail, as one of the toy's features, a piece of removable chest armor (no, really), was altered slightly, delaying later shipments.

The Takara Beast Wars Metals release features no differences to the Hasbro version.

This mold was used to make the BotCon 2001 exclusive Arcee.

• More information on Transmetal 2 Blackarachnia at TFU.info

Beast Machines

In Beast Machines, Silverbolt doubled his bird and so did she.

• Blackarachnia (Deluxe Class, 2000)

• Known designers: Yuichiro Hira (TakaraTomy), Tim Bradley (concept artist)

Released in the fourth wave of Beast Machines Deluxes, Blackarachnia transforms into a technorganic spider. In spider mode, squeezing its pedipalps together raises its central fangs; they are spring-loaded to release and lower, respectively. In keeping with the early Beast Machines "articulated features" motif, her robot mode head has a multi-piece articulated brow, which can slide up to reveal two extra sets of eyes, as she does on the cartoon. Her Spark crystal is located behind a window on the left side of her spider abdomen.

This mold was later redecoed to make the Universe version of Blackarachnia, as well as Crystal Widow.

• More information on Beast Machines Blackarachnia at TFU.info

This is transformed correctly, right? Right?

• Blackarachnia (Happy Meal, 2000)

• McNumber: 6

As one of ten toys in the fourth Transformers McDonald's Happy Meal promotion, Blackarachnia is a super-simplified version of her retail toy, with a coloration closer to the Mainframe CG model, though more shockingly pink rather than maroon. This toy is designed for the younger set, with softer plastic and no removable parts.

She is the only Beast Era character to get two McDonald's Happy Meal toys.

• More information on McDonald's BM Blackarachnia at TFU.info

Universe (2003)

You can pick your faction, and you can pick your girlfriend, but you can't pick your girlfriend's faction.

• Blackarachnia (Deluxe Class, 2003)

Part of the second wave of Universe Deluxes, Blackarachnia returned as a Decepticon and as a redeco of the original Beast Machines figure. However, her forearms were mistakenly swapped, leaving her forearm "spikes" pointing up towards her biceps rather than down near her elbows. She received a Decepticon faction symbol over her spark crystal as well.

This mold (with the same swapped-forearms error) was used to make Crystal Widow.

• More information on Universe Blackarachnia at TFU.info

Eyow.

• Leatherhide Vs. Blackarachnia (Halloween Horrorcon Value Pack, 200?)

• Accessories: Launcher, 4 leg-missiles

In 2004, a group of test-shots made their way onto eBay, among them a redeco of the original Beast Wars Tarantulas/Blackarachnia mold in black with silver spider-legs and salmon-colored robot parts. Later, Hasbro's official website checklist featured listings for two Universe "Halloween Horrorcon Value Packs" that were to be Wal-Mart exclusives... which also likely explains why they were canceled. (Wal*Mart had taken a good half-dozen exclusives and released them more-or-less simultaneously, leading to a huge glut. A lot of other Transformers exclusives were canceled during the Universe era.) One of the sets was "Leatherhide Vs. Blackarachnia"... and thus, the mystery spider was confirmed, as the other test-shots in that group lined up with the name listings given in the sets.

• Gallery of Halloween Horrorcon test-shots

Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Beast Wars Returns

What a maroon.

• Blackwidow (Deluxe, 2004)

• ID number: BR-04
• Release date: November 18, 2004

Part of the Japanese Toys"R"Us-exclusive Beast Wars Returns series, this toy is a redeco of the original Beast Machines Deluxe Class Blackarachnia in a more show-like maroon coloration. Reportedly, this toy was limited to 3000 pieces, a full thousand less than the others in the original assortment. Since she was also the most changed from the US release in the initial batch of toys, this made her considerably harder to get.

Beast Wars Telemocha Series

It almost works!

• Blackwidow (Deluxe, 2007)

• ID number: TM-06
• Release date: March 22, 2007
• Accessories: Launcher, 4 leg-missiles

Part of the heavily-loaded first wave of the Beast Wars Telemocha line, the original Deluxe Class Blackarachnia toy was extensively redecoed with a ridiculous number of gold paint operations, making her closer to show-accurate in coloration than the other versions of the mold, but still not quite there. (Her shoulders are silver in the show, among other things.) All of the gimmicks of the original toy were retained, though her alternate head didn't receive any paint that wasn't intended to make her nominal head look more show-accurate.

She came with a DVD containing "The Deadly Virus", the Japanese dubbing of Beast Wars episode 10, "Gorilla Warfare".

• More information on Telemocha Blackarachnia at TFU.info

Animated

I promise... not... to kill you! SPIDAAAAAAAH

• Blackarachnia (Deluxe Class, 2008)

• Takara ID number: TA-09
• Accessories: Grapnel-hook

Part of the second wave of Hasbro's Animated Deluxes, Blackarachnia transforms into a mechanical spider with some organic aesthetic. Many of her pointier parts are molded in softer plastic to keep unfortunate children from putting their eyes out. She comes with a grapnel hook accessory with a jointed claw at the end of it; pulling out the string then pressing a button o the base's top quickly pulls the string back in. It may be mounted under her abdomen in spider mode or on her back in robot mode, via two different sets of pegs. There is also a peg hole in each wrist, for web-slinging action.

The spider's head is mis-transformed in the package, making the first step of her instructions initially confusing. Furthermore, the pedipalps will easily come off if manipulated too much, and her transformation requires that they be turned around completely. Because of this, they will often fall off over, and over, and over....

Blackarachnia was released in the first wave of Takara's Animated line in 2010. Oddly, despite the sheer amount of metallic paint applied to virtually every other toy in the first few waves, Takara Blackarachnia is nearly identical to the Hasbro version, down to the gold Decepticon symbol on her collar.

This toy was later retooled and given a Beast Wars cartoon-accurate deco for the Legends toy.

• More information on Blackarachnia at TFU.info

Binaltech

Honda wouldn't appreciate their car being hot, poisonous, and deadly.

• Blackwidow (2005)

• ID number: BT-16
• Accessories: Engine-rifle, roof-shield
• Known designers: Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)

In 2005, the sculpt used for Alternators Decepticharge was presented as an upcoming release for the Japanese Binaltech line. Takara decided to give the toy an entirely new deco, as the Hasbro toy's deco didn't appeal to their ideal of "real-life accuracy". In robot mode, the toy was given a color scheme based on Transmetal 2 Blackarachnia, with the toy's name being changed to "Blackwidow", Takara's name for the character. Though a bio and story chapter were written to accommodate it into the Binaltech fiction, and photoshopped images released through an online retailer revealed the intended color scheme, Takara ultimately decided to cancel the toy altogether, as they were fearing that another redeco (in addition to the then upcoming Binaltech Asterisk toys) would be too repetitive. Plans to release this toy as part of a different line were never picked up again. A prototype of Blackwidow was later featured in an exhibit at Transformers Expo in 2014.^[1][2][3]

This sculpt was ultimately released in Japan as part of an unexpected Binaltech continuation, this time as Arcee. The original version of the mold was used to make Alternators Windcharger and Binaltech Overdrive. It was also planned to become a new toy of the Paradron Medic, but that also got canceled.

Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Kre-O

• Decepticon Blackarachnia (Kreon Micro-Changer, 2014)

• Collection: Age of Extinction Collection 2
• Accessories: Logo brick, scoped pistol

Part of the sixth assortment of blind-bagged Kre-O Micro-Changers, Blackarachnia is a Kreon mini-figure that can be rebuilt into a (four-legged) black widow spider. She sports Ironhide's helmet.

Unlike prior Micro-Changer assortments, this series does not have any sort identification code for the bags' actual contents, meaning you'd best be good at the feel-though-the-bag method.

This assortment was originally slated to be a Toys"R"Us exclusive, but US stores dropped the line before its release. It was still available in Canada, Australia, and Hasbro Asia's markets. In 2015, the Collection appeared in US Dollar Tree stores, with a price tag of a whopping $1 a pop. They didn't last long.

Legends

On the "Important Blackarachnia Anatomy" hierarchy, apparently "boobs" outrank "torso."

• Blackwidow (Blackarachnia) (Deluxe, 2015)

• ID number: LG17
• Release date: October 24, 2015

Part of the eighth wave of Legends product, Blackwidow is a retool of Animated Deluxe Class Blackarachnia. The tooling changes include a new head, a new chest/spider eye cluster, and new, larger pedipalps that form her breastplate in robot mode...albeit made of translucent plastic. (Her pedipalps resemble the kind found on male spiders, incidentally.) Her official robot mode transformation leaves her robot arms half-transformed, with the spider leg tips unrotated, to more closely resemble the original Blackarachnia's claw-arms.

Because her pedipalps are no longer filling in her stomach area, she now has a tiny, tiny waist. Considerably more annoying is that her torso is misassembled such that pushing up her chest/spider eye cluster into the correct position for robot mode (and thus avoiding her having a gaping hole in her chest) is considerably more difficult than it should be.

• More information on Legends Blackwidow at TFU.info

Masterpiece

The robot mode is real good, but the spider mode....

• Blackwidow (Beast Wars) (2019)

• ID number: MP-46
• Release date: November 23, 2019
• Accessories: Smiling face, screaming face, visor, visor cable, "Poison Anchor", Anchor missile, Anchor missile with cord, base, arm, spider web, robot mode spider web adapter, spider mode spider web adapter

First shown in grayscale prototype form at Winter Wonder Festival 2019, this Masterpiece Blackwidow is an animation-accurate mold depicting her original, pre-Transmetal beast form. She transforms into a show-accurate black widow spider and features multiple accessories, including her trademark anchor missile launcher (which converts into a panel for the rear of her spider mode), a missile for the projectile and an alternate version with a cord, 2 faces for robot mode, a visor and cable, a giant energon spider web and adapters to attach her in both modes. Blackwidow's engineering means that she lacks any major traces of unwanted kibble, and for the pleasure of display owners is incredibly posable. She is also one of the smaller Masterpiece figures, and is smaller than her fellow Beast Wars castmates.

Care should be taken especially when handling the spider legs of the figure as the tips are known to chip off.

Per the brand unification of TakaraTomy and Hasbro, Blackwidow was directly released with no changes by Hasbro Pulse in the United States and Canada.

War for Cybertron: Kingdom

You know about the “shoulder touch”?

• Blackarachnia (Deluxe Class, 2020)

• Hasbro ID number: WFC-K5
• TakaraTomy ID number: KD-05
• TakaraTomy release date: April 24, 2021
• Accessories: "Poison Anchor"
• Known designers: John Warden and Mark Maher (Hasbro), Ken Christiansen (concept artist)

Part of the first wave of War for Cybertron: Kingdom Deluxe Class toys, Blackarachnia transforms from a robot (mostly) accurate to her original appearance in the Beast Wars cartoon into a more realistic approximation of a black widow spider compared to previous toys. Her robot mode has some notable color differences: mainly, her spider legs are black instead of bronze, likely for realistic accuracy. Her transformation scheme shares many elements with her Masterpiece toy, albeit simplified. Due to that, her robot mode shoulders blatantly hang beneath the spider mode's head. The spider mode features ball jointed articulation in each of its eight legs.

Blackarachnia is equipped with her signature "Poison Anchor" missile cannon. The cannon can be stored under the spider mode, acting as a place to apply pressure to secure the robot arms when moving the spider legs. She is one of the few War for Cybertron Trilogy Deluxe Class-and-up molds without a waist swivel. Whether by coincidence or design, Blackarachnia's spider legs can accommodate blast effects on their ends, recreating the spider leg guns she had in the original Beast Wars show.

A common but minor point of breakage lies in a small tab that connects Blackarachnia's chest to her torso. On many copies, the tab sits very securely into its port right out of the box. The tab's length is not entirely suitable for the motion required of the piece for the transformation. Thus, the tab will very likely snap off no matter how carefully one approaches it. A later running change for the toy shortens the tab, fixing the issue.

Much like most of the toyline, Blackararchnia comes with one of four possible holographic Golden Disk cards for her wave, which reveals a possible destiny of a key character, Blackarachnia being one of them. Despite being a wave 1 release, she was a commonly-found pegwarmer throughout the entire Kingdom toyline's time on store shelves.

Buzzworthy Bumblebee

The universe where Blackarachnia manages a Hot Topic instead of enlisting.

• Worlds Collide (4-pack, 2021)

• Series: War for Cybertron Trilogy
• Accessories: "Poison Anchor"

Released as part of the Buzzworthy Bumblebee "Worlds Collide" 4-pack, Blackarachnia is a redeco and head-retool of the above Kingdom Blackarachnia, recolored to replicate her original package art with the "normal" robot face (as opposed to the mutant head/Tarantulas face) and a leopard pattern on her chest. Due to them being attached by mushroom pegs, the upper arms/spider legs can be swapped for the ones on the Kingdom toy above to increase its accuracy to Blackarachnia's appearance in the original Beast Wars cartoon.

Included in the set alongside Blackarachnia is Nemesis Primal, Fangry with Brisko and Bumblebee. Outwardly branded as part of the War for Cybertron Trilogy on the packaging, the instructions erroneously label the set as part of Studio Series, under the 2007 Transformers movie, instead.

The set was found in a Walmart in the U.S.^[4] prior to an official reveal from Hasbro, possibly due to a shipment error. As with other Buzzworthy Bumblebee toys, it is exclusive to Target in the U.S.

Beast Wars Again

• Shūnen no Taiketsu (VS set, 2023)

• ID number: BWVS-04
• Release date: November 25, 2023
• Accessories: "Poison Anchor"
• Known designers: Hisashi Yuki (TakaraTomy), Hidetsugu Yoshioka (packaging artist)

The fourth release in TakaraTomy's Beast Wars Again line, the "Tenacious Showdown" (執念の対決) set contains Tigatron and Blackwidow. Blackwidow is a redeco of Kingdom Blackarachnia in even more cartoon-accurate colors, including proper bronze spider legs and metallic paint.

Merchandise

Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game

• Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game (1997)

Blackarachnia was one of the 24 beast warriors to receive a battle card representation for the Beast Wars card game.

Robot Heroes

Cute and poisonous.

• Cheetor & Blackarachnia (Two-pack, 2008)

• Known designers: Bill Rawley (Hasbro), Marcelo Matere (concept artist)

Part of the first wave of Universe-branded Robot Heroes, Blackarachnia is a simple, yet well-detailed two-inch tall figurine with exaggerated, cartoony proportions. She was only available in a two-pack with Cheetor.

• More information on Robot Heroes Blackarachnia at TFU.info

ReAction

• Blackarachnia (2023)
  • Accessories: Crossbow

Released in the seventh wave of Super7's line of multi-property 3.75-inch "retro" action figures, ReAction Blackarachnia is a non-converting figure based on her original Mainframe character model, with 5 points of articulation (swivel neck, shoulders, hips). She includes her traditional cyber-venom-launching crossbow.

Blackarachnia comes packaged on a small cardback that mixes the design of the original Beast Wars packaging with some nostalgic elements resembling Kenner's Star Wars action figures from the late 1970s to early '80s.

Flame Toys

• Blackarachnia (?)

Released as part of the Furai Model line by Flame Toys.

This item is currently scheduled for release, but is not yet available at mass retail.

Notes

• The artwork advertising the Transmetal Blackarachnia toy on Happy Meal Bags was rendered with the toy transformed incorrectly. Her beast mode head isn't flipped down, leaving her organic-looking robot mode chest exposed.
• Blackarachnia's unreleased Universe Horrorcon toy (as well as Waspinator) made a cameo appearance in the Beast Wars: Uprising story "Not All Megatrons" as a mechanimal in the swamp hideout of fellow Horrorcon Leatherhide.

References